ADHD is highly prevalent among adults, affecting 6.0% of the adult population. Despite the widespread prevalence of ADHD in adulthood, many patients face challenges in accessing care. One-third of adults diagnosed with ADHD receive no treatment. Another third used a combination of medication with counseling or medication with behavioral therapy. Of the remaining third, 13.3% reported receiving counseling or behavioral therapy alone and 15.1% only used medication. Therefore, while many individuals receive some form of care, significant gaps remain for many patients with ADHD.
Despite these disparities in care, the pandemic-era expansion of telehealth has provided increased to access to treatment(s) for many adults with ADHD. Almost half of the adults with ADHD use telehealth for ADHD care, with 30.5% obtaining prescriptions and 30.8% receiving counseling/therapy through virtual platforms.
Importantly, while telehealth has alleviated some barriers to care, it cannot address the ongoing challenges posed by medication shortages. Stimulants are among the most effective and commonly prescribed treatments for ADHD, used by 33.4% of adults with ADHD. However, 71.5% of these individuals report difficulties filling their prescriptions because the medication was unavailable. Lack of access to stimulants can lead to untreated symptoms, increased functional impairment, and reliance on unregulated sources for medication. Therefore, these shortages highlight a systemic issue in managing the treatment needs of adults with ADHD and emphasize the need for regulatory and healthcare system reforms to ensure a reliable supply of stimulants.
Overall, these data underscore the urgent need to prioritize access for adults to ADHD treatment. Efforts must include policies aimed at decreasing medication shortages, increasing telehealth access, and creating clinical guidelines fit for the unique needs of adults with ADHD.
Reference:
Staley BS et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2024;73:890–895. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7340a1